"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You Fathers- if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him." Luke 11:11-13 NLT
Luke shares that the Holy Spirit is given to those who will ask and that He (the Holy Spirit) is regarded as a "very good gift" to receive.
Now I think Luke is referring to what I might call the "filling" of the Holy Spirit (some also call this the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.") This filling or baptism occurs when we ask in faith for God to bless us with His gifts and thereby to control our very lives.
The overall context indicates that if we will simply ask in faith, God as our heavenly Father will give us the things that are good for us .. and in this case it's about receiving not a what but a gift in the person of God the Holy Spirit and His control, filling and leading in our life.
I know that for years I served the Lord as a devoted Christian, but I always felt like I lacked everything that God had for His children. For years I thought, studied and spoke with others about God's very unique gifting through the Holy Spirit. But it wasn't until May 27, 2007 that I prayed "God, I just want so much of what you have for your children, i am open and ready to receive." That evening as I attended a church service, I had the Pastor pray over me and lay hands upon me, and I received the filling or the Baptism with the Holy Spirit to a degree that I had never experienced. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life and i have continued to enjoy the Holy Spirit's power and mastery in many areas of my life since that time.
God truly is the gift giver and aside from His son Jesus, the Holy Spirit is the greatest gift that God is more than willing to bless His children with.
